Run of the Millie
by Janika
Summary: XANA's newest attack did not succeed, but he's not about to give up! This one will be the clincher, and it couldn't come at a worse time. The dance is that night and two of our heroes are shy about asking each other... 7th episode
1. Expectations

**_Post-production note: since season 2 hadn't come out by the time this was written, it and all the others were based completely on what I learned in season 1._**

**Bear in mind that X.A.N.A. hasn't ceased his regular attacks on them. There were two assaults that are not recorded between New Era and this one. Since the Towers were easily picked up by Jeremy, he has pretty much forgotten about the problem w/ locating the one when the Roachster Pawn appeared and has let his guard down since then.**

**Now to sum up: The newest member of the Code: Lyoko gang has her eye on Odd and his is on her, but they just won't get together. Also, X.A.N.A. isn't finished with the gang and has something planned similar to what he attempted last time, and now Jeremy is hearing things…**

**7-1: Expectations**

(((-1-)))

Janika slowly crept up the mountainside path. It was dim here and the mist made visibility all that much worse. A single stone shifted ahead on the path and the girl went rigid. He was close, hiding. But she was a born predator.

With a lunge, she crossed a gap and converged on her prey…only he wasn't there! The stone had been a decoy! He flung himself out of the shadow of a boulder behind the cheetah-girl and was about to tackle her when she moved. He missed her entirely as a blur of orange darted to the side and ricocheted off the steep mountainside. She slammed him to the ground and they rolled to a stop, Odd trapped beneath her.

"Pinned ya!" Janika crowed triumphantly. She bounded to her feet and started doing a victory dance. "Oh yeah, I'm bad! Uh huh uh huh! Four times in one day, Odd!"

The purple panther dusted himself off as he stood up. "That still leaves me with six wins today," he retorted with a laugh.

"So what? I beat Yumi _six _times _yesterday_."

"Oh? And what about Ulrich?"

"You know as well I do that it's impossible to do much more than find him. He's just too quick. Even for a cheetah," she admitted reluctantly.

Aelita came out of her hiding place. "That's ten games. It's almost seven o'clock by your standards. You should probably be getting back to school. I have to get to work locating the lost Tower anyway."

She sighed tiredly, remembering the Tower X.A.N.A. had activated and deactivated after making a change, which made it almost impossible for her to find and repair. It usually took Aelita all night and often part of the day as well to fully analyze a single Tower. Any information she might have gleaned to help herself and Jeremy with their work was lost in the attempt to accomplish her task both thoroughly and briefly.

"Okay, okay. We'll get out of your hair. Jeremy, are you gonna devirtualize us?"

"We're running kind of slow today," he replied out of the air, "so it could take a couple minutes. I need to reconfigure some formulas for Aelita to help her out and then I'll get you guys back home. Just find a way to entertain yourselves while I'm busy."

As the pink-haired girl left, the two friends chatted sociably. Or at least they meant to. The atmosphere was surprisingly rigid and neither one quite knew what to say.

"So…" Odd said after a few moments of undisturbed silence. "Anything new in the girls' dorms?"

"We have new showerheads."

"Really? Wow, that's great. Must be exciting."

"So…" she said after a little more stillness. "How about the guys' dorms?"

"There was a pillow fight the other night. Jim got socked in the face when he tried to break it up and then he joined in. He didn't report it, but he made us clean up all the feathers."

Janika smiled halfheartedly. "I'm happy for him. He's living a little. So…d-did you hear about the—er—dance tomorrow night?"

"Uh—yeah. I was gonna go with the gang. You coming?"

"I guess so." She fingered the five pairs of stars and the two larger shurikens at her belt. "Were you going to invite your friend from that other school? Samantha or whoever?"

Odd shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Oh, well…" She edged a bit closer. If only she could sum up enough courage…

Her tail curled around his suddenly and he nearly jumped out of his skin! Before he could say a word, his body vanished and she was by herself on the mountainside. A minute later she was in the scanner room. Alone. The lift was in use.

"…Maybe you'd like to go with me?" she whispered sadly to herself.

(V)

The next day after classes were over, Millie was trying desperately to juggle three colored balls and ended up dropping them all. She tried it again, but had the same result. Odd took them and expertly showed her how to do it.

"See? It's easy. All you have to do is find your rhythm."

She attempted once more and they ended up on the ground again. A fit of laughter burst out from the other side of the schoolyard and both kids cringed visibly.

"_Awww!_ Is your big bwother twying to teach you a cwute widdle twick?" Sissy the Nuisance wondered in a baby's lisp. "As if a nut like him could teach you anything. If he gave a rooster crowing lessons, it would end up barking."

Millie blushed and gathered up the little balls. "I was just playing," she muttered dismally.

"Well, why don't you go 'play' with your little teddy bear, then? You might be good at that." Sissy flipped her hair over her shoulder and cast annoyed glances at her two dorky cronies who laughed after a delayed moment.

Odd spoke up cheerfully, "Why don't you go play Chicken on the railroad tracks, Sissy? You might be good at that. You might even be able to make a train stop with a face like yours."

The black-haired girl's knuckles cracked and she ground her teeth together so hard that he could hear them. "You'd probably make a good antenna for my TV, weirdo."

"At least I wouldn't win a gold medal in the Obnoxious Olympics. And the name is 'Odd,' not 'weirdo.' Get that right if nothing else. C'mon, Millie. Let's leave Sissy to clean her shoes by herself. Sometimes a girl needs privacy."

"Huh?" She finally looked down and realized what she was standing in. "_Grrrrr!_ Next time I see your dog it's going to be **_dead_**, you freaky…_freak!_"

They found a quiet place on the other side of the dorms where Odd showed her how to bounce a hackeysack with her foot. She was just getting the hang of it when Ulrich appeared.

"Hey Odd, is there a reason Sissy was screaming about Kiwi earlier? At least that's what I think she meant by 'four-legged devil'."

"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine after she buys another pair of shoes. She needs some, anyway. She always dresses in the same thing every single day. Hmmm…so do I, now that I think of it. That's weird, you know?"

Ulrich shook his head. "Not really. I wear the same thing every day too."

The blonde shrugged. "Eh, oh well. Is something wrong?"

"Nope. Janika's looking for you again."

"I saw her twenty minutes ago in class! What does she want with me?" There was suddenly a strange lilt in his speech, as if he knew the answer but didn't want anyone to know he knew.

Ulrich shrugged. "I dunno. She said she'd be waiting for you over by the park. I think it's something about the homework in Chemistry. For some reason she thinks you'll be able to help her." He rolled his eyes skeptically.

(V)

X.A.N.A. completed his calculations and connected through the hidden secondary link to Earth. It was time to release his newest creation. Perhaps this one would be more powerful and last longer than the previous…

**I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who reviewed last time and encouraged me to continue w/ this new angle. It may be strange and foreign, but you'll get used to it.**


	2. Feral Glare

**7-2: Feral Glare**

**This is the part where X.A.N.A. wins and everybody else DIES! Unless you'd rather I kept it tame for now. I'm not as much of a sadist as I'd like my readers to believe. Maybe someday…**

(((-2-)))

The impatient girl fingered her braid, wondering if Odd was ever going to show up. It was more than just the dance. But maybe, just maybe, the dance would be the beginning. Surely he knew that Janika had some kind of feelings for him! Well, guys missed lots of hints that girls considered obvious, so maybe she just wasn't doing the right things to attract his attention. Then she caught sight of Sissy and sighed inwardly as her cousin stormed over.

"What's wrong _this_ time?" Janika asked, wondering what the other girl was batty about.

"_Odd_, that's what! If you'll help me out I can get him expelled. Daddy would never think I made up something if you back me up." She wiped her shoe on the grass. "I hate his dog."

"Why don't you just tell Jim about Kiwi?" she inquired with a yawn.

"Because Ulrich said he'd never speak to me again if I did. He likes that stupid mutt for some reason. Just help me out and I'll make it worth your time, Nika."

"What's in it for me?" She inspected her nails critically.

"Look, I can get you _any_ boy on campus. Say his name and he's yours." She smiled cunningly, sure that Janika couldn't turn that down.

"Including Odd?"

"Yeah, even—_what!_ You like _him!_ How could you even _consider_ someone so…tacky?!" Sissy was incredulous. "I never thought you had such bad taste. If your mother knew what kind of company you keep here at school she'd have you shipped off to the Navy! Maybe then you'd get rid of that awful braid. It really did go out of style about fifty years ago, you know."

"So?" She glanced down. "Oh wow, look at my wrist! I have to go. I'm meeting up with Odd for Chemistry."

She stood up and started into the park, but the taller girl gripped her arm angrily.

"Fat chance! That jerk couldn't pass class without cheating."

"Is that mud on your shoe?"

Sissy tightened her grip, her face turning a slight shade of red. "Forget about that. You're _not_ leaving. You are going to help me whether you like it or not!"

Janika looked down at her cousin's hand. It was really getting on her nerves. She tried to keep from blowing her top and said in a very calm, but clearly ticked-off voice, "Sissy…let go of me."

"_No!_ And your little boyfriend will be on a one-way trip to Brazil tomorrow!" On emphasis, Sissy imprudently yanked the other's braid with a flourish.

Janika felt fiery rage burn through her veins. She snarled dangerously and twisted her arm out of Sissy's grasp in half a second, swiping at her with hooked fingers. She recoiled suddenly, yelping as blood seeped through four deep, cat-like cuts along her arm.

"You scratched me!"

Still wildly enraged, Janika hunkered down, ready to attack in a flash. Her face was a mask of fury as she crouched with her back pressed up against a tree, a low growl resonating from the back of her throat. Sissy tripped over her own feet and landed on her butt, staring with alarm at the girl she had thought was a pushover.

Odd came up just then and saw the feral, almost animalistic gleam in his friend's eye.

"Janika!" he called out.

Her head swung his direction (he could have sworn she bared pointed fangs at him), but the dangerous gleam faded slowly and she blinked. She saw her cousin and rose to her feet, suddenly concerned.

"Oh no! Sissy, are you all right?"

The girl cradling her arm jerked away as Janika came closer. "_What_ did you scratch me for?! And why were you acting like that? I thought you were going to…" She trailed off and darted a glance at Odd. "Forget what I said. I don't want anything from you, least of all your help."

"I'll take you to the infirmary."

"Don't bother! I know the way." She stumbled away, directing an uneasy look back at them. "…freakier than I thought…" she muttered, hurrying off.

Odd looked at Janika.

"What?" she demanded. "It's not my fault, Odd! She grabbed my arm and jerked my braid. I just got really mad all of a sudden. I never get upset like that. I don't know why I did."

"I do," he said stepping closer. "I know that was Bloodlust. Two days ago you used it on Lyoko and you looked at me like that. You were ready to tear her throat out, weren't you?"

She grumpily folded her arms across her chest. "Look, all I need right now is hot tea or something to help me relax. I'm just a bit wound up. It's not going to bother me as long as no one makes me mad."

He didn't say a word.

"You won't tell the others, will you?"

Odd began walking away and she called after him desperately.

(V)

Millie stood alone in the room she shared with Tamiya, trying to bounce the hackeysack with her foot. It jumped over to her computer and the girl with pigtails tiredly went to fetch it. She was just picking it up off the floor when the screen flashed and an unnerving symbol appeared there.

She was staring confusedly at it when something much like pale smoke billowed out of the computer and enveloped her! Millie staggered toward the door, but her strength sapped away as she tried to escape. The redhead landed facedown and there was a sensation much like flying…

(V)

The rest of the gang was in Jeremy's room, and the boy himself shuddered as though a chilly wind had just swept through. Aelita was sitting on the bed describing a complicated snag she'd encountered in the Tower she had been analyzing the night before, but she immediately stopped when his normally attentive gaze became unfocused.

"Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, no! I just…nothing." He closed his mouth but she, Ulrich and Yumi didn't say anything else. They just waited. "Well, I thought I heard someone screaming."

"You did?" Ulrich stood up quickly. "I didn't hear anything. Where did it come from?"

"That's the deal," the blonde boy murmured. "I heard it in my head."

Yumi patted her friend's arm sympathetically. "It's okay. We're all a bit stressed out from X.A.N.A.'s attacks lately, especially that weird one a week ago with Maïtena. When do you want me to take Aelita back home to get dressed for the dance?"

"Pretty soon. I was going to buy a corsage for her. What do you think of pink, Aelita?" Jeremy put his arm around his date and she nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder and giggling.

He dismissed the strange sound he had heard, thinking it could have been his imagination. But the voice had sounded so much like Millie. He just couldn't understand why she had screamed, _"What's happening? Help me, please!"_

**I know, it's one of those things where you know what'll happen next. Hopefully I'll still surprise some of you, but in the meantime, tell me what you would do if some freaky stranger (of the opposite sex) came out of nowhere and tried to kiss you. I'm serious!**


	3. Rope and Paper

**7-3: Rope and Paper**

**You know what? I've been thinking that maybe at the very end of my series, I'll virtualize myself permanently and be called X.E.N.A.: Warrior Virus! I'll destroy everyone in my path and rule Earth forever! Mwahahahaha!**

(((-3-)))

The Pawn became aware first of sounds: the slow ticking of a clock, the slight hum of electric lights, the faint murmur of voices… The noises all around her were so strange and mesmerizing that for several minutes she didn't even realize that she had eyes or limbs.

Finally her master's insistent voice broke though her thrill of euphoria. _"The Warriors are close by… You must…before they realize…"_

His words faded away and she missed the strange way the words were and yet were not a sound like the others around her. The instructions she'd been given were eclipsed by her playfulness and fascination with audible vibrations.

The door opened and a dark-skinned girl bustled in. "Come on, Millie! We have to be there to take a shot of people arriving at the dance. Where's the camera?"

The Pawn blinked at the girl, bemused. "What?"

"Quit playing around, Millie! We're in a hurry, remember?" She grabbed the other's hand and hauled her to her feet. "Help me find it."

"My n-name is Bloktra," she voiced slowly. "Where are the Warriors? Warr-yore-zuh!" Sounds were fun to make! They tickled her mouth pleasantly. "Buh-lock!"

"I'll call you Queen of the Nile if you'll just _help_ me! Forget your games right now. We have work to do and we can't do it without the camera."

Searching the room beside Tamiya, Bloktra wondered what she was supposed to be doing. Her master's voice was gone now. Was this human her ally? What was a camera anyway?

(V)

Janika bit her lip as they walked toward the dorms. "I know the others are going to make me stay in my room if they find out. They're just like my parents, I swear! They'll think I'm too dangerous to be at the dance tonight and I really want to go! _Please_ don't ruin it for me, Odd."

Odd looked uncomfortable, his loyalties divided. "I'll keep it a secret for now, but you'll have to let them know as soon as the dance is over."

The dark-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks. Hey, you said you were going tonight? You're not gonna go alone, of course. So, you know, I was just thinking maybe just for the heck of it, you know, we'd go…_together_."

"Huh?" Odd suddenly looked doubly nervous. "I…can't. Millie asked me 20 minutes ago. I told her I would."

She stared at him, shocked.

(V)

"So you said yes to Millie and no to Janika," Ulrich sighed, shaking his head. "Man, you really botched that one up!"

"I didn't do anything! Come on! Millie's more like a little sister than anything."

"Did you tell Janika that?"

"No. She just walked off without a word."

He was really beginning to feel guilty about it too. When Millie asked him, he had instantly thought of the tail-twisting on Lyoko. Was it really an accident? It had bothered him a lot and afterward he just couldn't look her in the eye or bring it up. He was secretly glad she said nothing either. But Millie was waiting for an answer and at the time he couldn't be sure Janika wanted to go with him. Now it was too late.

Odd sifted through the clothes in the closet. Ulrich walked out of the bathroom, already dressed. He and Yumi were going together that night.

"I saw Sissy going to the infirmary earlier. She said Janika tried to kill her. Do you know anything about that?"

He sounded suspicious and Odd rolled his eyes slightly to trivialize the complaint.

"You know Sissy. She'll say anything to get other people in trouble. Good thing Janika is a good suck-up. Have you seen her Bambi Eyes yet? The principal always falls for it. He'd never believe someone as sweet and cute as her would do anything to his own daughter."

The brown-haired boy shrugged. "Whatever. Why are you going through my closet?"

"I don't have anything to wear. Can I borrow something?"

"Who are you trying to impress? _Millie?_" Odd shot him a glare. "Okay, okay! But what's wrong with your regular bellbottoms?"

Odd dumped more of Ulrich's clothes on the floor. "They're too…casual. Don't you have _anything_ besides khakis? I swear you have less style than a hobo."

"At least I'm not color-blind!" Ulrich jabbed back. He walked to a drawer and pulled out a pair of black slacks. "I hate this pair. Try them on."

"Hey, thanks!" The blonde slipped them on in the bathroom and came out a minute later. "Er…do you by any chance happen to have a belt?" He was holding the pants up to keep them on.

"Nope, sorry. I guess you can use a piece of rope or something." He sifted through his drawer and came up with one. "Yep, the only one Kiwi hasn't chewed up yet. Where is he, anyway?"

"I let him outside, but there is _no_ way I am going to wear a piece of rope to a dance!"

"Then you'll just have to go in that nerdy pair of jeans your mom sent you two weeks ago. They're the only ones you have that are formal. What's it going to be: the rope or the nerdy pants?"

"Some choice." Odd sourly grabbed the rope and tugged it through the belt loops. "I don't want to hear a single word about this later, Ulrich. If anyone finds out about the rope _or_ the pants, I'll sock you so hard you won't be able to see straight for a week!"

"That's what I'd classify as an empty threat," his friend laughed. "I have to go pick up Yumi. Feel free to use my cologne. And I think you might want to flatten your hair a bit. And sneakers aren't a good idea for tonight."

Odd stopped tying the rope and stared impatiently at the other boy. "Is there anything _else_ you want to say before you finally leave me in peace, Your Highness?"

"Just one more thing," he smirked. "Don't forget to dance at least once with Janika."

"Who do you think you are? The matchmaker?"

Ulrich's laughter echoed down the hall.

Odd quickly finished dressing and left, making sure his shirt covered the "belt" before starting toward the stairs. He had barely taken three steps when the door to the stairwell opened as Jim and the principal stormed in. They focused on him and each took him by an arm.

"Odd, you're coming with us," the burly guy in a sweatshirt growled.

He started to get a bad feeling about the whole ordeal when they took him to the administrative building. He saw the smug look plastered on Sissy's face as she stood off to one side, her arm in an oversized cast and sling.

Mr. Delmas opened his office and pushed Odd inside. The sight that greeted the blonde boy's eyes was so astonishing that he couldn't do anything but stutter. Papers, seat cushions and just about everything else that hadn't been nailed down was torn to pieces, lying strewn about the room.

And Kiwi was sitting right in the middle of it all, smiling as if he was the cleverest dog in the world.

"Perhaps you would like to explain why you let a dog into my office as a practical joke," the principal said in a dangerous tone. "And don't try to deny it. My daughter saw you slinking around the building."

Odd's face heated up as he felt Sissy's contemptuous gaze drilling him in the back of the head.

**Well, that's one reason we all hate Sissy. Little brat! Don't worry. You'll find out more about Bloktra in the next chapter. And now another poll! I hate the name I gave this episode and I'm taking suggestions. Anyone?**


	4. The Dance

**7-4: The Dance**

**This is dedicated to Dantheman7777 for giving me the best title: Run of the Millie (I had to cut out the dashes), so it is no longer called "Frozen Tears". For some reason he keeps on getting dedications…oh well. Maybe it's b/c he's so cute.**

(((-4-)))

Janika tapped her foot to the music's beat halfheartedly. She hadn't seen Odd since the dance started almost twenty minutes earlier. He should have been out on the dance floor with _Little_ _Millie_ or at least pigging out at the snack bar, but he wasn't. The dark-haired girl rubbed her arms and stared blankly at the group of teenagers milling around.

"Hey, wallflower!" a snooty voice sneered behind her. "Missing your date?"

Janika felt like punching her cousin, but kept her anger in check this time. "What do you want, Miss Bratty?"

"Well, Miss _Catty_, I want to give you a warning."

Sissy looked like she had broken her arm, it was so wrapped up. The girl stared down her nose at Janika and smoothed down the slinky pink dress she was wearing.

"Don't ever attack me again. If you do, I'll do the exact same thing I did to your little ex-date."

So Sissy didn't know that Odd and Millie were dates.

"What are you talking about?"

"Odd just got expelled. 'He' let his dog into my daddy's office and the runt tore up everything, including some records that might have been important to you or some of your other little friends. Strange that they were lying out," Sissy's eyes glinted malevolently. "Ta-ta!"

Janika's hands curled slightly, her fingernails sharpening to claw-like points, and she was ready to pounce on her cousin's back when someone familiar placed a hand on her shoulder. The feral flame went out and the girl swallowed her growl as she looked into Jeremy's face. Lucky for her, the lights were dim and he didn't catch the changes.

"Did you hear about Odd?" he demanded. "It's unbelievable! There's no way he would have done something that stupid! Even as a practical joke."

"Sissy did it," she muttered, shrugging away from his hand.

Aelita stood behind her date, looking nervous. "Why would Sissy do something like that to Odd? What's he done to deserve it?"

"Nothing, and that's the point," Janika spat venomously.

She forced herself to take deep breaths and calm down. It was really difficult to keep from attacking her cousin.

(V)

"Sound…no sound…sound…no sound…sound…no sound…sound!" came Bloktra's giggling laughter.

Tamiya glanced at her friend again. The girl she knew as Millie was covering her ears and uncovering them over and over and over. She never seemed to get enough of it.

"What kind of music do you think they'll play at the dance, Millie?" she asked to distract her.

"I am Bloktra. What did you say? Music?"

"Yeah. You know, like Evanessance, Savage Garden, Nightwish, Gackt…" She rattled off a few more names that seemed to make no sense to Bloktra. "Never mind. Just finish dressing and let's get there. We're already way late thanks to you hiding the camera in your sock drawer!"

"What is 'late'? Layyyy-tuh!"

Tamiya rubbed her temples. "Let's just hurry up and go. Get the mike, will you?"

Finally the two girls made their way to the gym. As soon as they came in through the doors, Bloktra dropped the mike and exclaimed, "Noise! It's so loud I can feel it in the air. Listen to it! Bum, bada bum, bada bum, bada bum!"

The beat of the rock music blaring from the speakers seemed to be shaking the entire building and the red-haired girl was directly in front of them, practically basking in the sound. Tamiya backed away from her slowly and took off as soon as she was sure her friend wasn't going to turn around.

"Hi Tamiya!" a voice called out.

The dark-skinned girl sighed in relief and joined Jeremy along with his date and Janika.

"Hi! I'm so glad to be talking with some _normal_ people! Millie's been weirding me out. Is that Jell-O over there?"

The loud music finally stopped and a slow dance began to play. Couples started going out onto the dance floor with each other. The boy with glasses narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"What do you mean by 'weird'?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that she's been making stupid noises and acting strange ever since I got back to our dorm. It's really getting on my nerves. She kept telling me to call her some dumb name."

"What name?" he insisted.

Tamiya looked curious at his questioning, but she answered anyway. "Blocka or Blackra something. I don't really remember, but she was seriously freaking me out."

"Where is she?"

The girl darted a glance back at the speakers and saw Bloktra still standing in front of them, her face lit by an expression of immeasurable delight.

"Right over there."

Jeremy saw the strange look on the young red-head's face and instantly pulled his friends aside, ignoring Tamiya. The black girl was miffed to be suddenly left out, but assumed it had something to do with seniority. She put down her camera and wandered over to pursue a bowl of Jell-O.

"I knew it. I just _knew_ it!" Jeremy hissed. "X.A.N.A.'s Pawn has taken over Millie. We need everyone on Lyoko to take care of the one there."

The blood had drained from Aelita's face. "What if she gets out of control and attacks the students here? Roshia could cause a lot of damage and possibly kill someone!"

Jeremy dropped his voice, "I don't think it **_is_** Roshia. But if you want to keep everyone from getting hurt, go over there to the exit and pull the fire alarm."

"Will do, but I can do even better than the alarm alone," Aelita gave a smile that made them just a tad anxious. "Be ready to run."

He gave her one last piercing look before turning to the other girl. "Janika, we'll need Odd. Go to the administrative building and pull the fire alarm there too. You can help him make a break for the factory as soon as he's free."

"What are you going to do?" the girl with the braid inquired.

"I need to tell Ulrich and Yumi about the Pawn. Aelita, run outside once you do your half and go meet Janika and Odd at the entrance to the sewer. Now get going!"

He pushed them lightly and the two girls headed toward the exit.

(V)

On the other side of the gym, the slow song was soothing for Ulrich and Yumi. They danced closely, swaying to the rhythm. Ulrich wasn't a very good dancer, but this type suited him well enough. They were close and Ulrich felt his heart beating faster.

"You know, we could try to meet up sometime after school next week," the brunette boy ventured gingerly. "Maybe go out for a movie or something."

"Just the two of us?" she said with a smile. "I'd like that."

It was the perfect moment. Yumi bent her head slightly and Ulrich leaned up, both with their eyes closed. They were mere centimeters apart when the floor suddenly grew slippery beneath their feet! They tried to keep their balance, but another couple slipped and flew into them, who, in turn, crashed into another, and another, and another! Soon, practically everyone was tripping over their feet and all were in a bad mood.

Ulrich felt the floor and looked at his date in confusion.

"Yumi, the floor feels like ice! Do you think X.A.N.A. would—"

He stopped as Millie appeared over them. The short girl stared angrily at them both, her eyes seeming to change to sapphire blue. Yumi gripped Ulrich's arm as she recognized the glow.

And then the fire alarms went off.

**Do any of you girls out there ever wonder if X.A.N.A. is hot?**


	5. Blue Eyes

**7-5: Blue Eyes**

**If anyone has ever seen "Tomb Raider," Janika has a braid kind of like that. I didn't like the movie, though. Too cliché. Even I could have written a better script than that! (and I stink at writing movies)**

(((-5-)))

Bloktra covered her ears quickly as the loud sirens blared and bright flashing red lights lit the gym. She hunkered down, searching for the source of the noise. Children everywhere were screaming in fright and exhilaration, and then, just to add to the chaos, the sprinklers went off! All dresses and suits were drenched in a matter of seconds.

Ulrich grabbed Yumi as Bloktra was distracted and dragged her into the crowd, though he nearly slipped again on the icy floor. Her hair was a mess and her dress clung wetly to her body. He didn't waste time to admire her outlined figure (well…maybe just for a second or two) but guided her though the throng of wildy screaming teenagers.

Then a strange chill entered the air. The falling water fell harder, more painfully now. The brown-haired boy nearly slipped and went down as small bead-like things littered the floor. He reached down and picked one up, staring at it confusedly in the flashing lights.

"This is hail! How on earth did it get here?"

Yumi glanced back and spotted a pair of glowing eyes in the semi-darkness. At least Bloktra hadn't seen them yet.

The falling hailstones grew larger and more ragged. The Japanese girl jerked as one struck her shoulder. More of them were falling now and other kids were screaming from pain, not hysteria.

Jeremy was suddenly standing beside them. "I take it you met our new enemy?" he questioned.

"Only for a moment," Ulrich replied. "I'm pretty sure she's the one responsible for the dogpile back there on the dance floor and this interesting weather we're having indoors! We've got to reach Lyoko and get rid of it. Where are the others?"

"Janika went to get Odd and Aelita's waiting for us by the manhole. I think it's her fault the sprinklers went off. I didn't even know we had any in here!"

(V)

The dark-haired girl glanced nervously around as she entered the administrative building. Where was the fire alarm anyway? You'd think they'd be everywhere, but _nooooooo!_ She ran down the hall and finally spotted one…next to the detention room!

Principal Delmas was sitting inside at what was normally Jim's desk looking through a pile of shredded papers. There was no way she could sneak past to reach the alarm without getting spotted by him.

Odd was also there, resting his chin on his hands and glaring murderously out the window. If she could just attract his attention—

"Did you need something, Janika?"

She saw Odd jerk his head around as she was found out. The teenager swallowed her nervousness and walked boldly forward.

"Uncle Gene, I'm afraid you have the wrong person. It was me. I let the dog into your office."

She stopped right outside the door as he was just rising from his chair, an expression of anger mixed with astonishment on his face. Then her hand came up and she yanked the handle on the fire alarm before turning and sprinting down the hall.

The principal was after her in half a second as lights flared and sirens echoed through the building. Luckily there were no sprinklers inside. Odd took off too, still not quite sure why she had risked her neck to save him.

Once out the door, he saw everyone over at the gym yodeling about being all wet. Then the door flew open again and Janika crashed into him.

"I lost him by squeezing between two snack machines, but he'll figure out I came back this way any second! Let's get out of here!"

He got to his feet and went after her as she headed for the trees in the park. Aelita paced there fretfully.

"Where are Jeremy and the others?" she wondered, worried. "You don't think that Pawn has…?"

"No, I don't. Janika, stay here with Aelita. I'm going to go make sure they got out of the gym. Stay _here_," he repeated with a glare at the obstinate girl.

He started to turn, then his eyes took on a strange farseeing look. In less than a moment his Anticipation was gone and he was back in reality. He gripped Janika's shoulders tightly, evidently shaken.

"Ulrich's in trouble!" he shouted into her face. "Yumi will try to help him and end up hurting him instead!"

(V)

Almost everyone was out of the gym. Jeremy stood by the exit Ulrich and Yumi had used and stared through the painful rain of hailstones at the Pawn. Millie's pigtails had come out and her hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Her glowing blue eyes had focused on him where he stood.

"Who are you?" he called over the wailing sirens. He had to get information out of her, even if it was just a little bit.

She came forward until they were only a handful of meters apart. "Bloktra." She seemed confused. "You are not a warrior, and yet you are. I see it in your eyes. I will spare your life if you do not hinder me."

"What do you want with us?"

"My master has sent me to destroy the warriors, and I shall. If you try to stop me I will destroy you as well. Do not tempt me." She narrowed her eyes.

"That's not what I asked," he said stubbornly. "What do _you_ want?"

It was a dangerous question. To ask an Artificial Intelligence that hadn't even been human for one day whether it wanted anything at all could either hurt it because of the physical lack of computer programming it had been created with or help separate it from its sovereign because of its newfound freedom of choice.

Bloktra stopped, her eyes slowly fading to a more somber hue, though they still glowed slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was still trying to say something when the doors burst open and Ulrich skidded inside.

"Jeremy, get out of here!"

Her eyes fell on him and turned dark and menacing once more. The small hailstones falling from the ceiling doubled and tripled in size, coming down like rocks. Jeremy glared at the other boy in frustration, wishing Ulrich had waited one more minute before interrupting.

As the brunette kid grabbed his friend's arm to haul him away, he slipped on the ice underfoot and went down, dragging Jeremy with him. Ulrich saw Bloktra cup her hands to catch the falling hail, and she reshaped it into a deadly-looking shard.

"Die, Warrior!" she shrieked, red hair flying wildly. She drew her arm back and cast the shard of ice straight at him in one smooth motion.

Ulrich jerked aside as quickly as he could, but not fast enough. The thin knife of ice struck his arm, tearing through the flesh. He couldn't keep from crying out in unmasked pain as the ice buried itself deep in his forearm, almost going clean through!

Just then, Yumi came through the door. She heard his stifled cry and saw the blood dripping down Ulrich's arm, then rushed to his side.

"Ulrich!" she called out his name desperately.

Jeremy motioned for her to take him outside and she tried to help the moaning boy to his feet.

"Don't think you can get away that easily!" Bloktra screeched over the fire alarm as she fashioned a new ice-dagger. The three teenagers stood poised before the Pawn, not sure whether to move or not.

And then Janika caught her around the waist from behind and smashed Bloktra to the floor. She fell heavily under the dark-haired girl's weight and stayed still, the hailstones becoming rain again. Odd ran across the gym from the other entrance to Ulrich.

"Whatever you do, don't take that icicle-thingy out of—"

He came up short as he saw Yumi dropping the shard of ice that she had extracted from his arm.

"You idiot!" he yelled at the Japanese girl. "You just cut his artery by removing that!"

**It's true! There was a girl in my class who pulled a broken piece of glass out of her leg and it cut her artery. Now for another poll! Who do you think would be the best actor to play Ulrich if CL was a real live movie? It has to be a real person who has already played in at least one movie. Best suggestion gets the next chappie dedicated to them!**


	6. Black Block

**7-6: Black Block**

**Congrats to (Rose) for suggesting Ricky Ullman as the best actor to play Ulrich. He was the best (and the youngest) choice. Therefore, this chappie is dedicated to her (?) and hopefully she (?) will put in an appearance at the Oscars next year.**

(((-6-)))

"Why didn't you tell us you'd gotten your Special Ability?" Jeremy muttered as he put pressure on the vein in Ulrich's arm. "We might have had a little warning if you had just said something. Why do you always have to be so secretive?"

"I just wanted to go to the dance," she defended herself weakly, nudging the unconscious Pawn with her foot. "We need to put her someplace so she can't get away."

"And quick before Jim or anybody else comes in," Yumi agreed with her friend. "This really doesn't look too good."

"Tie her up and put her in the broom closet," Ulrich offered.

"Tie her with what? There's nothing here except soaked streamers, and I seriously doubt they'll help!" Odd cried out. He was still ticked off at Yumi.

"You've got a rope," the brown-haired boy said with a trace of a smirk.

Odd narrowed his eyes. "No. Way."

"The closet doesn't have a lock on it. She'll get out in two seconds if her hands aren't tied, and you know it!" Ulrich admonished. Now the others were staring at him too.

He glared at the gang before finally taking off his 'belt' where it had been hidden beneath his shirt. He tied Bloktra's hands behind her as securely as possible and hauled her over to the closet before stuffing her inside with indignation.

"_Happy!_" he demanded.

Ulrich winced as Jeremy tightened the cloth around his bleeding arm. "Not really since I can't go with you guys to Lyoko."

"Someone needs to stay with you to make sure you don't bleed to death," the spike-haired boy said slowly.

Yumi knelt down. "I'll take care of him. It's my fault anyway. You guys should probably get going." She looked over at Odd again and raised an eyebrow. "Nice boxers."

Odd hitched up his soaked slacks and left the building through the back door with the others.

Yumi helped Ulrich get to his feet where he stood breathing laboriously and holding his arm at an awkward angle. Guiding him outside, she sat him down in the quiet shadow of the building where he (hopefully) wouldn't be found.

"We just need to last as long as it takes for them to get past the Pawn on Lyoko and shut down the Tower. You'll just have to put up with the pain until then," she murmured regretfully. "Do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

"I'll manage," he smiled weakly at her.

The lump in Yumi's throat refused to go away. She had thought she was doing the right thing. How long did it take for a person to bleed to death? The makeshift bandage was already leaking. She ripped a long strip from the bottom of her sparkling black dress and wound it as tightly as she could on him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "so sorry about everything."

The brown-haired boy cradled his bleeding arm but was somehow able to place his uninjured hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think I blame you? Do you think I wouldn't have made the same mistake if you had been attacked instead of me?"

She gazed into his dark, dark eyes, the guilt still stabbing at her unmercifully.

"You're not the one at fault here, Yumi. I don't want you to feel like you are, no matter what Odd says." He lowered his voice, "And don't worry about him either. I'll make sure he can't find any mousse for a week."

(V)

"If I'm not mistaken, it's a huge indestructible one like the Roachster," Jeremy predicted as he sped toward the end of the tunnel on his scooter. "All you guys have to do is make sure Aelita gets to the Tower. But remember that the big black Block is very deadly. No clowning around, Odd."

Janika tried to stifle her snort as they propped their boards against the wall and got ready to climb the ladder. They turned to look at her as she quirked a smile.

"Say this ten times fast: Yes sir, yes sir, Mister Fox, sir. Let's go kill some big black Blocks, sir!"

They blinked.

"Doctor Seuss. You know, Fox in Socks?"

They stared.

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Uncultured! That's what you are! The whole lot of you! Let's just get in there and get it over with before anything happens to Ulrich and Yumi."

(V)

The snowy landscape stretched out in three directions, a wall of solid ice on one side. Spires of more ice speckled the area, none of them large enough for the big Block to hide behind. The cheetah- and panther-warriors covered the distance with caution, their digital friend leading the way.

"And you can't tell which Tower is activated?" Odd asked once again.

"Odd, for the umpteenth time the answer is no!" The blonde operator sounded ticked off from all his friend's pestering. "You guys are really close to the Block now. It's inside a gap in that ice wall just ahead. The Tower you're looking for should be around there someplace. I have two on my hologram."

"Aelita," Janika intoned lowly, "you'd better keep back. From what you and Ulrich told us about the Roachster, this could get nasty."

They edged over to the fissure and peered around the edge. Odd grabbed her tail and yanked her back just in time to avoid the blast that created a very round hole in the ground where she had been standing. The digital void far below could be seen very clearly through it.

"Yep, very nasty," Janika snarled, giving Odd a look that could have melted stainless steel. Her tail looked a little bent.

They darted away as the Pawn minced farther out into the open. It was all black except for the pale "eyes" and nearly as big as a semi! One eye caught sight of them and it scurried back into the crack where it had been concealed. Aelita and the other two hid behind a pinnacle of icy frost nearby to watch it.

"The Pawn isn't pursuing us," she noted, puzzled. "It's just hiding there."

"Hiding…or lying in wait?" Odd asked as he fingered his dart glove.

"Hey, I can see the Tower!" Janika crowed. Her friends followed her pointing finger upward. "It's up there on top of that ice wall…uh…surrounded by about ten or fifteen regular Blocks."

**Hopefully my cliffy will keep you hanging for about a week or so. In the meantime, I want all of you to tell me what your favorite cartoon to watch was when you were a kid. (Final Jeopardy theme plays…)**


	7. Icy Breath

**7-7: Icy Breath**

**People just don't seem to like my polls. What's the deal? I am dedicating this chappie to those few who did answer the last one. Congratulations Dantheman7777, The Bringer of Good Cheer, (Rose), and Black Cherry Soda. This one was written for y'all. Hope you like it. **

(((-7-)))

"_Wake, you fool!"_

X.A.N.A.'s voice brought her out of the dark abyss she had been immersed in, but even with her eyes open she couldn't make out anything.

"Master! I cannot see. Where am I?"

"_The warriors are here on Lyoko, but not all. Two are missing. They must be there. You will exterminate them before I lose my patience…unless you would rather return to your former existence._ _The price of failure is great,"_ he reminded her, raking invisible claws through her brain and causing her to shudder with terror.

The threat was clear and held an irreversible promise.

"No, I will kill them all! I swear it, Master." Bloktra felt his awareness inside her mind vanish and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Cold permeated from her skin as she remembered what had happened. The foolish warriors had been at her mercy, ready to be dispatched, when someone growling like an animal had crashed into her from behind. And then darkness covered her, dispelled by her Master's intervention.

Her hands were trapped behind her back, something solidly holding them in place. The water had stopped falling and the loud sirens were gone, leaving an empty, eerie silence.

The red-haired Pawn lowered her hands to the floor where water soaked into the rope. She focused on it and the threads froze over, becoming brittle. With a little effort the rope snapped.

"Where have you gone?" she whispered as she opened the door and looked out at the waterlogged dance floor.

The two remaining warriors would be hiding someplace, then. Someplace out of sight, or perhaps among other people, but they would—what was that?

Bloktra was distracted by the distorted sounds outside and followed them, drawn almost as if on a leash. It was the laughter and shouts of the students and also a much more piercing, fascinating noise that came closer and closer, drowning out all the others. It was a loud, high-pitched wail that sent shudders down her spine.

The thing making the noise screamed as it approached the school, lights flashing to attract attention. Bloktra could only stare and listen until the sound faded as the large red vehicle stopped.

(V)

Nearby, Yumi was watching the Pawn with blind anger.

"I have an idea. Stay here," she told her friend.

"Why? What are you going to do, Yumi? You're not going to try something dumb and get yourself hurt, are you?" He grabbed her elbow with his good arm. "She'll kill you given half a chance!"

The Japanese girl bent down and hugged him tightly. "I promise I'll be fine."

She had to try her best to stop Bloktra. The fear of her finding Ulrich in his helpless state terrified her. That hellcat had almost murdered him in cold blood already.

"Don't put yourself in danger, Yumi. I'm sure the others will fix it eventually. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She started to stand up, but he pulled her back and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. For a moment she stared at him, her cheeks flushed, then surged to her feet and darted into the crowd before he could say another word. Ulrich's eyes lowered to the pavement, a small smile playing across his face.

The firemen were talking with Jim and the principal. Yumi waited until they went inside the building, only two remaining at the truck. It was easy enough to sneak around the other side unseen.

The black-haired girl clambered up onto the fire truck muttering, "Ice is your specialty, huh? Well how about if we just cool you down a bit with something a little more forceful than a few sprinklers, hmmm?"

The pump started working. There was plenty of water in the truck's tank to last for a while. She grabbed the hose and pulled it out, wedging it between two metal bars on the truck so that it was aimed at the red-haired girl on the edge of the mass of milling students. No one was between them. This was the perfect opportunity!

"Try this out for size, Bloktra!" she sneered as she pulled the lever on the nozzle back.

The Pawn just happened to turn in time to see the water come shooting out of the hose straight at her!

The Japanese girl gritted her teeth as the force of the spray recoiled against her and the metal brace, but she held it down, stubbornly refusing to let go. At first she crowed with delight, but after a few moments she realized that her ploy wasn't exactly working the way she had planned.

The water swirled in a circle around Bloktra, the waves turning to snow and ice that spread out from her in all directions. Instead of knocking her out or even hindering her, the firetruck's water supply was becoming a mini-blizzard controlled by the Pawn!

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Yumi's hands had grown numb and she grunted in an effort to turn off the hose, but the metal had frosted over in the sudden change of temperature, refusing to budge. She let go and scrambled off the truck, but one of the ill-tempered firemen grabbed the back of her shirt.

"Hey, kid! What did you just do to our truck! What's going on around here anyway?" he insisted with a few curse-words sprinkled colorfully throughout.

"Sir, it's that girl!"

She pointed to Bloktra at the heart of the storm, wind and snow howling in a cyclone around her. She could hardly be seen through the swirling white, but her loose red hair was slightly visible. As the man looked over, she managed to slip out of his grasp and join the other students as they panicked.

The sun had fallen beyond the trees, an additional layer of icy breath settling on the school grounds. All the children had scattered…except for one that couldn't go very fast or very far with a torn artery that pained him every time he moved.

The whirlwind of snow thinned and dissipated as the Pawn caught sight of Ulrich trying his best to keep up with the other kids but too weak to manage it. In a trice she was behind him and shoved him face-first into the piles of snow that had blanketed the area.

Yumi peeked out from behind a pile of toppled garbage cans and gritted her teeth. He was writhing on the ground, the acute pain from his injury an inescapable haze of suffering.

"Where is the other Warrior?" she demanded, her foot on his back. He didn't answer, so she called out to the fleeing students, "Will you not come defend your friend?"

Bloktra didn't see anyone stand up for him, not even the cowed firemen, since ice wasn't exactly their forte and her display of power was very impressive. They were satisfied with watching.

"Very well, then. He dies."

**Cliffy-alert! You guys will just have to show up next time to find out what happens. Ok, now let's try this _one more time_. I ask a poll question, you answer. Which one of X.A.N.A.'s monsters is your favorite and why?**


	8. Millie

**7-8: Millie**

**Krabs win by a landslide of 3 to 2 versus Megatanks! Personally I like Hornets just b/c they can fly, but who's gonna be picky about that? Man, this is the longest story I've ever written!**

(((-8-)))

Odd dove behind the shelter of the ice structure as lasers rained down on them from the gathering of Blocks on top of the wall. He was struck twice and fell, doubled over. Janika grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Quit trying to act like a hero! Oh no! That black Block is coming!" the cheetah-warrior gasped as the huge dark monster stepped out of the wall, focusing on them. "Jeremy, what are we supposed to do?!"

Before the computer's operator could reply, Aelita dropped down to her knees, hands together and eyes closed. She hummed a single note that resonated through the air and a thick barrier of clear ice rose up and encased the Block in response.

"That won't hold it for long, Aelita," Odd said. "How do we get way up there?"

Jeremy finally spoke, "My sensors show the wall extends all the way to the edge of the platform in both directions. There doesn't seem to be a way up."

"I've never been to this Tower before," the digital girl admitted reluctantly. "It's possible that X.A.N.A. destroyed the path."

"Aelita…" Jeremy sounded confused. "Do you hear someone…um…"

"Jer, pay attention!" Janika snapped. "We have a Tower we can't get to and a giant Block that will get out of that prison in less than a minute. We need some ideas about now without you getting distracted!"

"Sorry." He seemed to pause as though confused. "Just hang on for a second. I have to check something out."

(V)

Ulrich felt himself hauled roughly to his feet and tried not to yell when the Pawn grabbed his bad arm, still bleeding. She glared at him, her eyes a misty azure shade glowing with an unearthly light.

"Your fellow is a coward, Warrior," she snarled. "Thanks to her inaction, I will make certain that you suffer greatly as you die."

The brown-haired boy could hardly struggle, but as she tightened her grip on him, he lost the remaining feeling in his hand. The numbing sensation spread quickly up his arm and into his chest, then downward toward his feet.

At first it was a relief not to feel the tremendous pain, but after everything had nearly been encompassed, a second wave of cold so strong that it felt more like fire swept through his veins.

Ulrich fell to his knees as they ceased to support him. His entire body felt like it was burning! He looked at his hand and saw his fingers turning from pale gray to a frozen purple. He saw them swelling at an alarming rate and tried to cry out, but his lips were iced over.

Bloktra bent over him, her cold breath putrid. "My master will reward me greatly for this conquest. But I want you to suffer _just_ a bit more before you die."

The pain doubled.

(V)

Jeremy stopped his calculations and paused. Where was that crying _coming _from? He took the headphones off and looked around.

"Hello?"

The crying continued, unabated. It was a girl. She was weeping and whispering through her tears, _"Please stop it…I don't like this place…"_

"**Hello?**" he called more insistently.

_"Who are you? Make it go away! I can't breathe… I wanna go home!" _

Then the sounds descended into bawling again. Her voice was echoing inside his head, like earlier, before the dance.

"Millie? Is that you?"

_"Who is it?"_ she sniffled from no place. _"Jeremy?"_

Of course! X.A.N.A. had forced her out of her own body, so she must have been placed somewhere else. Why not Lyoko? She was probably trapped in some kind of a virtual setting, maybe the activated Tower.

"Millie, where are you? Can you see anything?"

_"Jeremy, what's happening? Where am I? I can't move!"_

"Tell me what you see."

She paused, trying to calm herself down. _"Ice everywhere. It's all cold. There are some things that were attacking me and put me inside this cage. I hate small places, Jeremy! __I want out!"_

The realization of where Millie was came all too slowly to him. "Millie, what kind of a body do you have?"

_"I don't know, but I can look around in all directions at the same time and I can use lasers or something."_

"You're the Block!" he gaped at the screen.

(V)

Yumi watched as her date slowly turned blue, his head lolling back. Finally she snapped out of her lethargy and ran for the firetruck again. A lot of other kids were still running so that she didn't look very inconspicuous and the sky was turning dark, the only illumination coming from streetlights around the park.

The Japanese girl noticed the water was still slightly pumping out of the hose as she tried to open the door to the cab, but the metal had frozen solid. With a few high kicks, she whacked it until it came loose. Now which button activated the sirens?

Ulrich had lapsed into unconsciousness. Bloktra's face had just contorted into an expression of triumph when the loud, piercing noise split the eerie silence of the evening.

Irresistibly drawn toward it, she let go of her prisoner and began walking dazedly toward the source of the strange, soothing, melodious sound, unaware that Yumi was waiting for her.

As soon as she approached the truck, the black-haired girl screamed a war cry, leaping out of the shadows to attack her nemesis with a wrench. Bloktra took the blow to the back of her head and collapsed.

Fearing the worst, Yumi ran to her friend, noticing that the ice all around was melting. His skin was deathly cold, and his fingers were disfigured from frostbite.

"Ulrich! Oh, please don't be dead!" she wept.

One eye slid open, seeing nothing, but at least it was a sign that he was still alive. Drying her eyes and pulling him up, she looped his good arm over her shoulder and carried him away.

Impossibly, Bloktra rose to her feet, hardly fazed by the pounding of her skull. The sirens were gone and so were both Warriors. With a snarl, she caught up the fire hose and aimed it at the windows of the dormitories, where all the kids had run to escape, and then pulled the lever back to put it on full blast.

**Okay, tell me what you think and then answer the new poll. What would you say about this pairing: Theo/Aelita (and please keep the flames low)**


	9. Ally

**7-9: Ally**

**I am glad to find out that nobody liked the Aelita/Theo pairing. I just wanted to get this story over with, so this is about 2 chapters combined and shortened, so don't complain to me about how quickly everything got resolved unless you want an army of tie-dye mice to attack you someday when you least expect it! ****Read or die! _Mwahahahaha!_**

(((-9-)))

"Wait, wait! So you're telling me that this Block is really Millie?" Odd repeated incredulously once again. "_How_ exactly is that possible?"

Millie had blown up Aelita's ice barrier with a single fire beam.

"Odd…" Jeremy sounded vexed now. "Unless you _really _want me to go through the whole thing in 'my language,' I suggest you pretend to be satisfied with these words: it just is. Now shut up. You still have to get Aelita past X.A.N.A.'s Blocks to the Tower and shut it down before Bloktra destroys the school or kills somebody."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know that, Einstein, but unfortunately, there isn't a way up in case you hadn't noticed before when you told us," Odd replied sarcastically.

Janika and Aelita rolled their eyes at the arguing boys.

"Maybe Millie knows where it is," the AI girl suggested. "She's been here for a while, after all. It's possible she noticed something."

Jeremy stopped bickering with Odd. "Yeah, she says there's something inside the crevice that you guys might want to check out."

They nervously skirted the huge, dark Block and went inside. The cave was shallow, barely large enough for Millie's body to fit, but there was nothing of interest to see.

"Jeremy, it's empty. Wait, is this some kind of trap!" They started to panic.

"Of course not. Millie says she can see things you can't. I think it has something to do with having four eyes and an electronic brain. Aelita, walk straight at the back wall."

The pink-haired girl did so, though clearly confused. She reached out to touch it and gasped as her hand passed straight through!

"A hologram! X.A.N.A. used an illusion to cover the pathway so we wouldn't be able to find it."

She ran inside and the other two followed, Janika throwing a quick 'thanks' back toward Millie. The tunnel wound sharply upward with steps cut into the ice and an illumination coming from above. They burst out through the exit and came face-to-face with a collection of 15 Blocks! The monsters fired rapidly, striking them all.

"Ahh! They were waiting for us! The jerks!" Janika groaned as she clutched her stomach. She looked up at the monsters as they closed in.

"You guys are too low on lifepoints!" Jeremy protested. "Odd, you're down to 20. Why are you guys just sitting there? _Move it!_"

(V)

Yumi sagged and labored as she ran. Ulrich was too heavy for her to drag far. If she could just find a safe place to keep him, he'd be fine. The Japanese girl laid Ulrich down in the most sheltered place she could find. At least he was still breathing.

The sounds of glass shattering and children screaming broke the late evening silence. She needed to get back and make sure Bloktra didn't kill anyone. Why wouldn't the witch stay _put_ after she was injured?!

She ran back toward the commotion. _What now?_ She rounded the corner of the gym and stopped in her tracks. Bloktra was hurling icy shards from the firehose at the students! She had broken some of the windows on the dorms already.

Yumi could see the sick, pleased smile plastered on the Pawn's face as she listened to the cries of pain and fear. She had to do something, but she shuddered and brought one hand to her cheek when she recalled Roshia's heartless torture a week earlier. She could almost feel those shards of stone digging into her flesh…

"Stop it, Bloktra," she shouted, steeling herself as she stepped forward. "I am the one you want. Not them. They can't harm you, so why attack them?"

The creature in Millie's body leered condescendingly. "Humans ask too many questions. They take advantage of the world they exist in without appreciating its values." Her frown deepened. "Fools. How long do you think it will last?"

(V)

The Blocks scuttled forward, firing rapidly with their three separate types of beams. Odd was unlucky enough to get struck before he could fire his laser arrows and was instantly devirtualized.

"Odd, you idiot!" Janika growled

She threw a pair of ninja stars at the foremost enemy, but it twisted agilely to one side and spun its head around to aim an ice-beaming eye at her.

"Yaaah!" she yelped, jumping quickly to avoid it.

Aelita took the shot in the chest. Jeremy cried out her name helplessly as she iced over with a look of alarm frozen on her face. The dark-haired girl stood solidly in front of her friend as the Blocks started to surround her.

Suddenly the computer's operator shouted, "_Duck, Janika!_"

She didn't argue and dropped down just as a huge laser twice as wide as herself shot out and vaporized eight of her enemies. Half of X.A.N.A.'s force had vanished in less than a second! Jeremy yelled at her to keep down and another shot flamed another six more that were raggedly trying to fire back.

The last one went for Janika, but this time she was ready…and mad.

A tint of her Bloodlust flared and she darted forward to destroy the Block with her lengthened claws before it could focus on either her or Aelita. Jeremy cheered from his console and checked the timer on the pink-haired girl's ice prison.

"Fifty seconds until she thaws. I hope nothing bad has happened to Yumi and Ulrich in the last half-hour."

(V)

There hadn't even been a fight. As soon as the Pawn turned the hose on her and she was doused, she had frozen to the ground, unable to move.

"**_Why?_**" Yumi choked out as the breath was squeezed out of her body. Bloktra's grip on her neck was iron. "Why does X.A.N.A. want to kill us so badly, and why are you doing this? You don't have to, you know!"

"Yes I do!" the ice witch insisted. "He created me and so I must do as he commands or die."

She had just finished speaking when suddenly her whole composure changed. Bloktra fell back from Yumi screeching and yammering incoherently. The ice all around them melted in a sudden flood and the dark-haired girl stumbled a few paces away.

Yumi remembered Roshia doing the same thing when Aelita had deactivated the Tower before.

Bloktra thrashed on the ground for a moment before growing still. Her eyes sought the Yumi's as she whispered, "Please…sing something…to me…"

Her brow furrowed, but the plea was so pitiful, so languishing, that Yumi couldn't refuse. She knelt beside the Pawn and hummed a Japanese lullaby until a white light covered everything and rewrote the past…

(V)

Janika smiled as she sat at a table with the others at the dance. They kept their voices low as they spoke, explaining to Ulrich and Yumi about what had gone on with Lyoko and how Millie had turned out to be the black Block. The Japanese girl stayed quiet, not even raising her eyes to look at them.

"So that means that the huge Roachster last time was Maïtena? Why did she attack us?" Ulrich wondered.

"Who knows? She probably thought it was fun or something. She's weird anyway. I just hope that Bloktra is the last one we'll see." Jeremy looked over at his lovely date. "Hey Aelita, it's a slow song. Would you like to dance?"

Everyone paired up with their dates, Odd and Janika included. She gave him a crooked half-smile.

"I'm glad Millie decided to let you go with me."

He tried to match her feet as she danced and wasn't doing a very good job. "Yeah well, I felt a little nervous going with her after she just tried to kill all of us, even if it wasn't really her."

The blonde boy felt Janika lean into him, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. They danced to the soft music until Odd finally raised his date's chin. Their lips brushed together momentarily and then he heard a strange thrumming.

He stepped away from her. "Janika, are you _purring?_"

She opened her eyes and the cat-like pupils stared at him not with frenzied anger, but with genuine affection.

**No poll today since this is the last chapter. Well, it's been 2 months, but I finally got the whole thing up. Cool, huh?**


End file.
